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Mon. Apr. 02, 2012 In a win for tobacco companies, judge rules against Worcester ban on cigarette advertising In a victory for three of the nation’s biggest tobacco companies, a federal court judge has ruled that a Worcester ordinance dramatically limiting advertising for tobacco products is unconstitutional. Under the regulation would have been prohibited from advertising specific cigarette brands, such as Marlboro or Camel, on signs visible from the street. Signs could only note that the stores sold cigarettes. Worcester officials said the cigarette promotions were contributing to a high incidence of tobacco use.	Advertisement
Rhode Island, US agencies split $500m in Google’s forfeited revenues Rhode Island state and local agencies will receive the lion’s share of $500 million dollars that Google Inc. forfeited last year for accepting advertisements from online Canadian pharmacies that targeted US consumers, Peter F. Neronha, the state’s US attorney, revealed on Monday.
Dunkin’ Donuts has new bagel recipe, new agreement with Coca-Cola Dunkin’ Donuts, the Canton-based coffee-and-baked-goods chain, is launching a new bagel offensive as it also begins to offer Coca-Cola at its US restaurants. On the baked goods front, Dunkin’ Donuts said it is switching to a new recipe that will result in “artisan bagels” that feature “a soft and chewy texture with bolder flavors.” Meanwhile, Dunkin’s parent company, Dunkin’ Brands Inc., said that its US restaurants will begin serving Coca-Cola products. The company operates both Dunkin’ Donuts and sister chain Baskin-Robbins.
Mass. gas prices rise another 3 cents a gallon The average price for gas in Massachusetts is $3.799 a gallon in the latest weekly AAA survey, up 3 cents from the previous week’s average, AAA Southern New England said Monday. It is the third consecutive week of increases. The current national average for gas is $3.92 a gallon, AAA Southern New England said. A year ago at this time, the Massachusetts average price was $3.56 a gallon.
American DG Energy names new chairman; Charles Maxwell succeeds George Hatsopoulos American DG Energy Inc., a Waltham company that offers clean electricity, heat, hot water and cooling solutions to hospitality, healthcare, housing, and athletic facilities, announced Monday that its board has named Charles T. Maxwell as its new chairman of the board. Maxwell succeeds George Hatsopoulos, who resigned as chairman “due to personal reasons,” but will remain as a director, the company said. Hatsopoulos is founder and chairman emeritus of Thermo Electron Corp., a maker of scientific instruments.
Rockland Trust appoints Donna L. Abelli as chairman of the board Independent Bank Corp. and its commercial bank subsidiary Rockland Trust Co. have both appointed Donna L. Abelli chairman of their board of directors, making her the company’s first female chairman. Abelli has served on both boards as a director since 2005. Abelli assumed the chairman’s role from Thomas J. Teuten, who retired from the board upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 72.
Facebook alum Kevin Colleran joins General Catalyst General Catalyst Partners, a venture capital firm with offices in Cambridge, announced Monday that early Facebook employee Kevin Colleran is joining the firm as a venture partner. At Facebook, Colleran was the second-most tenured employee at the time of his departure behind founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. Colleran developed the initial advertising programs for the social network and worked with the likes of Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Coca Cola. in helping those brands adapt their marketing efforts to social media.
AlloCure raises $25m in Series B financing AlloCure Inc., a Burlington biotechnology company focused on kidney disease, announced Monday the closing of a $25 million Series B venture financing. The round included the participation of new syndicate member Lundbeckfond Ventures, as well as previous investors SV Life Sciences and Novo A/S. AlloCure is developing AC607, an allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell therapy, for acute kidney injury. The financing will help AlloCure to support the clinical trials for AC607.
Alliance for Business Leadership unveils new name, new agenda Progressive Business Leaders Network, a network of chief executives, said it is changing its name to the Alliance for Business Leadership to reflect its new agenda. According to the Boston-based alliance, its new name underscores its role as a nonpartisan alliance of business leaders committed to sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all. In a press release, the alliance said, “Our aim is to redefine and revitalize the role of business leadership in society.”
Tallest building in Conn. sold for $99m A 38-story office tower in Hartford that is Connecticut’s tallest building has been sold for $99 million. An executive at real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle told the Hartford Courant that the sale of CityPlace I in Hartford closed Friday in the downtown area’s biggest deal since 2007. The newspaper reports the buyer is CommonWealth REIT, a real estate investment trust based in Newton, Mass. The 885,000-square-foot building was sold by CityPlace LLC, which had owned the tower since its construction in 1983.
NStar to pay double the cost of conventional energy for Cape Wind power Boston utility NStar has agreed to pay a starting price for power from Cape Wind project that is more than double the cost of conventional energy and would add about $1 to customers’ monthly bills in the first year the offshore wind farm generates electricity, according to a 15-year contract filed with state regulators Friday. The price, 18.7 cents per kilowatt hour, is similar to the price National Grid agreed to pay.
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